According to the source, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, Turkish security forces killed the terrorists during an operation in a rural area of Dogubayazit district.

Security forces also seized a sniper rifle, a Kalashnikov rifle and 60 grenades during the operation, the source added.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

Since then, around 500 security personnel, including troops, police officers, and village guards, have been martyred, and over 4,900 PKK terrorists killed in operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Emin Avundukluoglu contributed to this story in Ankara.